Rockland Officials Ask Residents Not To Travel During Storm

ROCKLAND COUNTY, NY — Residents are urged to avoid unnecessary travel and stay off the roadways during the severe storm that may bring 4+” of rain, widespread flooding and wind gusts up to 50 to 60 mph, Rockland County officials said in an advisory issued at 12:37 p.m. Tuesday.

Those who need to travel are urged to remain vigilant and adhere to any temporary signage or traffic instructions in place.

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As the storm begins, county Highway Department crews are still working to clear the thousands of catch basins throughout Rockland to ensure there is no debris that would prevent water from draining. Clogged catch basins can also be reported to the Highway Department at 845-638-5060.

"We encourage residents to report any issues with road conditions or any other storm-related concerns to proper authorities," said County Executive Ed Day. "We also extend our sincere appreciation to the public works staff, emergency responders, and road maintenance teams who always go above and beyond during challenging periods like these for the safety and wellbeing of our residents."

The New York State Department of Transportation will be monitoring flooding on high-risk roads for any needed road closures, county officials said.

Rainstorms flooded state routes 59, 303 and 9W in December. That month, the lower Hudson Valley received 6-8 inches of rain and the mid-Hudson received 7-9 inches, according to New York State Mesonet. The average rainfall in December for the region is 3 inches.

County officials said the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control has resources stationed in the Hudson Valley including weather response vehicles and swift water rescue teams on standby. New York State Emergency Operations Center in Albany will be open monitoring the storm as well and in direct contact with local Fire & Emergency Services.

O&R reminds the public not to touch or approach any downed wire and always assume it is energized and dangerous and report it to O&R immediately at 1-877-434-4100.

Residents who experience a power outage should report it to O&R:

• Report an Electric Service Problem | Orange & Rockland (oru.com) from any computer or web-based mobile device.
• Text messaging by texting “OUT” to 69678 (myORU) or
• Call 1-877-434-4100

Depending on the situation, you may consider calling your local police to divert traffic from the downed wire’s location until an O&R crew arrives.

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